Mr Neil Wigan has been appointed Her Majesty's non-resident Ambassador to Somalia.

He will succeed Mr Matt Baugh, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Wigan will take up his appointment during June 2013.

Mr Wigan joined the FCO in 2000 and has worked on several countries afflicted by conflict, most recently as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo for the last three years.

On his appointment as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Somalia, Mr Wigan has said:

I am delighted and proud to be appointed at this critical moment in Somalia’s history. Somalia has made great political and security progress in recent years, with Al Shabab driven from many major cities, and with a new and legitimate government having taken office.

The UK has played a major role in supporting this progress, demonstrated by the 2013 Somalia Conference in London, chaired jointly by Prime Minister David Cameron and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Many challenges remain, and I look forward to working on them. I also look forward to working in the new British Embassy in Mogadishu, re-opened in April 2013 after being closed for 22 years.